Anne Conley's Blog
December 4, 2013
What makes me special?
Yesterday's issue of Kristin Lamb's blog hit a chord with me. I follow her blogs, and have gotten lots of useful information from them. Her writing and marketing advice is solid, and I devour her posts when they come in my inbox.
Her post yesterday has had me thinking, though, about what makes my writing different from all the other romance authors out there.
One of the primary reasons I started writing novels, was that I couldn't find any to read that I really enjoyed. Protagonists were always in their early twenties, idiots, or the love interests were kazillionaires. The trope of kazillionaire sweeps virgin off her feet, only to fall in love and live HEA was starting to get to me.
I wanted to write about real people. Reall people with real jobs, and real issues. Sure pregnancy scares are real. I've had my share. But I'm not twenty-something anymore, and that doesn't really bother me as much now. If I were to get pregnant NOW, that would be something different. After I wrote a few books about real people, I found myself wanting to tackle some social issues in an entertaining way, to give my books a little more depth. Notice I said little.
See, I'm happy writing the burgers of literature. People want burgers more than they want fois gras. And I can't write fois gras anyway. I don't think I have that kind of talent. Besides, I personally can't relate to that kind of stuff. I never have. Granted, I've read lots of classical literature: Canterbury Tales, Candid, Shakespeare, etc. I love it all. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is probably my favorite book. But in the grand scheme of things, most of those are just the burgers of their time period, with on-going themes that people still find relevant.
So, my books are still fast-food romances, brain candy. But they have older heroes and heroines, with real jobs and real problems, that hopefully, readers can relate to. They're still escapist fantasies, but not so unrealistic to be ludicrous. I have no idea if I've actually gotten that out in my "platform", so I'm thinking I need to revamp my pages to make that clear. Someday, I'll get to that...
Her post yesterday has had me thinking, though, about what makes my writing different from all the other romance authors out there.
One of the primary reasons I started writing novels, was that I couldn't find any to read that I really enjoyed. Protagonists were always in their early twenties, idiots, or the love interests were kazillionaires. The trope of kazillionaire sweeps virgin off her feet, only to fall in love and live HEA was starting to get to me.
I wanted to write about real people. Reall people with real jobs, and real issues. Sure pregnancy scares are real. I've had my share. But I'm not twenty-something anymore, and that doesn't really bother me as much now. If I were to get pregnant NOW, that would be something different. After I wrote a few books about real people, I found myself wanting to tackle some social issues in an entertaining way, to give my books a little more depth. Notice I said little.
See, I'm happy writing the burgers of literature. People want burgers more than they want fois gras. And I can't write fois gras anyway. I don't think I have that kind of talent. Besides, I personally can't relate to that kind of stuff. I never have. Granted, I've read lots of classical literature: Canterbury Tales, Candid, Shakespeare, etc. I love it all. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is probably my favorite book. But in the grand scheme of things, most of those are just the burgers of their time period, with on-going themes that people still find relevant.
So, my books are still fast-food romances, brain candy. But they have older heroes and heroines, with real jobs and real problems, that hopefully, readers can relate to. They're still escapist fantasies, but not so unrealistic to be ludicrous. I have no idea if I've actually gotten that out in my "platform", so I'm thinking I need to revamp my pages to make that clear. Someday, I'll get to that...
September 10, 2013
What does my writing have to do with celery?
My daughter and I were coming in from the grocery store today, and she was valiantly trying to help me in with the foodstuffs. I caught her dragging a package of celery and said something to the effect of, "You're dragging the celery through the dirt." She came back with the ever-witty reply of, "It's the celery's fault!"
Now, we all know it's not the celery's fault it was being dragged through the dirt on its way to my fridge, so I replied with the all-wise, "Own it, Elizabeth. Just get the celery out of the dirt!"
I have no idea what she did, as I was on my way back to the car for the 30-pack of beer, because it's Friday night, after all...
That one comment, coupled withthis blog post, got me thinking...
Last Sunday, at church the president of our women's group introduced me to another member as "a published writer" where I blushed profusely and started staring at my fascinating shoes.
See a couple of months ago, during a moment of weakness, I announced to the entire group of 30 little old church ladies that my Smashwords check was more than I anticipated, and I was proud that my books were making a little money. All thirty silver-headed ladies pulled out pen and paper and started writing down my information. When I told them they couldn't buy actual copies of the books, more than half of them put away their paper, but they were all very curious about what kind of books I wrote.
I actually told them I write trashy romances. Yup. Those are the words I used.
Tonight I realized, nobody will take me seriously if I don't take myself seriously. Which means I need to lose the word "trashy" in my repertoire. I need to tell people, proudly that I am about to publish my sixth romance novel. My in person presence needs to match my online presence. I am a mother. I go to church. But I'm also an author. I author books. And I have published several. And people buy them. And LIKE them. So there! Yes, I'm aware I just began five sentences in a row with a conjunction (My apologies, Mrs. Garcia). It's a stylistic choice.
So, yeah...Elizabeth needs to own the fact that it was not the celery's fault she was dragging it through the dirt. And I need to own the fact that I write romance. When my daughter tells her friends' parents that her mother wrote a book called Hot Mess, and they look at me expectantly, I will not blush and stare at my feet saying, "Yeah, let's go, hon..." I will hold my head up high and say, "You can check it out at www.anneconley.com. Or join 1750 other people who like my facebook page.
HA!
Now, we all know it's not the celery's fault it was being dragged through the dirt on its way to my fridge, so I replied with the all-wise, "Own it, Elizabeth. Just get the celery out of the dirt!"
I have no idea what she did, as I was on my way back to the car for the 30-pack of beer, because it's Friday night, after all...
That one comment, coupled withthis blog post, got me thinking...
Last Sunday, at church the president of our women's group introduced me to another member as "a published writer" where I blushed profusely and started staring at my fascinating shoes.
See a couple of months ago, during a moment of weakness, I announced to the entire group of 30 little old church ladies that my Smashwords check was more than I anticipated, and I was proud that my books were making a little money. All thirty silver-headed ladies pulled out pen and paper and started writing down my information. When I told them they couldn't buy actual copies of the books, more than half of them put away their paper, but they were all very curious about what kind of books I wrote.
I actually told them I write trashy romances. Yup. Those are the words I used.
Tonight I realized, nobody will take me seriously if I don't take myself seriously. Which means I need to lose the word "trashy" in my repertoire. I need to tell people, proudly that I am about to publish my sixth romance novel. My in person presence needs to match my online presence. I am a mother. I go to church. But I'm also an author. I author books. And I have published several. And people buy them. And LIKE them. So there! Yes, I'm aware I just began five sentences in a row with a conjunction (My apologies, Mrs. Garcia). It's a stylistic choice.
So, yeah...Elizabeth needs to own the fact that it was not the celery's fault she was dragging it through the dirt. And I need to own the fact that I write romance. When my daughter tells her friends' parents that her mother wrote a book called Hot Mess, and they look at me expectantly, I will not blush and stare at my feet saying, "Yeah, let's go, hon..." I will hold my head up high and say, "You can check it out at www.anneconley.com. Or join 1750 other people who like my facebook page.
HA!
August 5, 2013
Summer Lovin' Blog Hop
Welcome to the Summer Lovin' Blog Hop. Over fifty authors and bloggers have joined together to give you the chance to win an awesome bundle of books as well as read some great posts. Be sure to go to each blog and comment with your email to up your chances of winning. Each comment counts as an entry! Our lovely bloggers are also offering individual prizes so be sure to check them out.
For this post, I decided to try my hand at Flash Fiction. I wanted to see if I could do it, and the truth is, I can't. I started with an idea in my head, and I wrote it down, and now it's just the beginning of a longer work, to be completed soon...
Sweaty skin sticks together as hot gasps tear the air to shreds. Fingernails grip backs, buttocks, nipples. Teeth graze flesh and toes curl. The scent of candle wax and body oils fill the room. Souls collide in a mesh of desires, if only for a brief period in time.
This is what happened to Casey, every time she saw the man down the street, working on the roof of Mr. Jackson's house. Of course, he did't realize she'd been undressing him all week long, as she sipped a cold beer on her porch. But that's okay. It's not like it's anything that could ever happen in her lifetime.
She sighed as today, for the fourth day in a row, she watched him climb the ladder, a package of shingles slung over his shoulder like a rag doll. His tan, muscular shoulder, completely visible through his T-shirt, sticking to him with sweat.
Licking her lips, Casey took another sip of her beer, drinking in the sight of the nameless worker down the street. Once he got up on the roof, he dropped the shingles and stood there, wiping sweat from his brow. A gust of wind blew by, and Casey pushed her hair back out of her eyes, so she could keep watching him.
Except now, she saw him watching her.
Read more at The Conley Corner
For this post, I decided to try my hand at Flash Fiction. I wanted to see if I could do it, and the truth is, I can't. I started with an idea in my head, and I wrote it down, and now it's just the beginning of a longer work, to be completed soon...
Sweaty skin sticks together as hot gasps tear the air to shreds. Fingernails grip backs, buttocks, nipples. Teeth graze flesh and toes curl. The scent of candle wax and body oils fill the room. Souls collide in a mesh of desires, if only for a brief period in time.
This is what happened to Casey, every time she saw the man down the street, working on the roof of Mr. Jackson's house. Of course, he did't realize she'd been undressing him all week long, as she sipped a cold beer on her porch. But that's okay. It's not like it's anything that could ever happen in her lifetime.
She sighed as today, for the fourth day in a row, she watched him climb the ladder, a package of shingles slung over his shoulder like a rag doll. His tan, muscular shoulder, completely visible through his T-shirt, sticking to him with sweat.
Licking her lips, Casey took another sip of her beer, drinking in the sight of the nameless worker down the street. Once he got up on the roof, he dropped the shingles and stood there, wiping sweat from his brow. A gust of wind blew by, and Casey pushed her hair back out of her eyes, so she could keep watching him.
Except now, she saw him watching her.
Read more at The Conley Corner
July 30, 2013
New Cover
So, a reader read Hot Mess, and left a wonderful review of it, with the caveat of the "book should not be judged by the cover" because she didn't the cover was a good representation of the book. I personally liked the cover, it was exactly what I told the designer I wanted, and she executed my vision wonderfully. Well, Vanessa happened to read the review, and sent me an email saying, "She's right. I made a new cover. Here." The new cover is spectacular. I love it. It speaks to the story I was trying to tell. That's a sign of a great designer. She's read Hot Mess, and she designed a cover to communicate the tone of the story to a potential reader in a way I could never do.
I am truly in awe of Vanessa Booke. She has designed several of my covers (the good ones) and done an outstanding job with them. I was insanely busy with my Mom when she sent me the email about the cover, but I had to take a time out and breathe through the emotions that came. I had told the initial reviewer that I wasn't going to go back and ask my designer to re-do the cover, but Vanessa saw the review on Amazon and took the initiative to do it herself. Maybe it was a professional pride thing on her behalf, I don't know, but it made me feel like somebody was looking out for me, somebody was supporting me wholeheartedly, somebody was being my friend.
So, I'm putting together a sort of care package to send her. I already owe her a bookmark, but I'm going to add a bottle of wine, and some other stuff to send her as a thank you for her support, because the cover is just the tip of the iceberg with her.
I have made some phenomenal friends in this journey into Indie Authorship. Vanessa Booke, Jill Sanders, my writing buddies, and more. I'm feeling pretty rich right now. And that's a great feeling.
I am truly in awe of Vanessa Booke. She has designed several of my covers (the good ones) and done an outstanding job with them. I was insanely busy with my Mom when she sent me the email about the cover, but I had to take a time out and breathe through the emotions that came. I had told the initial reviewer that I wasn't going to go back and ask my designer to re-do the cover, but Vanessa saw the review on Amazon and took the initiative to do it herself. Maybe it was a professional pride thing on her behalf, I don't know, but it made me feel like somebody was looking out for me, somebody was supporting me wholeheartedly, somebody was being my friend.
So, I'm putting together a sort of care package to send her. I already owe her a bookmark, but I'm going to add a bottle of wine, and some other stuff to send her as a thank you for her support, because the cover is just the tip of the iceberg with her.
I have made some phenomenal friends in this journey into Indie Authorship. Vanessa Booke, Jill Sanders, my writing buddies, and more. I'm feeling pretty rich right now. And that's a great feeling.
July 24, 2013
Interview with Cheryl Seagraves
INTERVIEW THE AUTHOR : ANNE CONLEY
Anne Conley 7/23/2013
Question:what are you working on at the moment? At the moment, I’m working on a novel in my Four Winds series, about the archangels: Uriel, Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael. This one is Rafe’s story, Falling for Grace. As the archangel of healing, he has heard numerous prayers offering self-sacrifices for loved ones, and he’s always wanted to understand that emotion better. At last, God has chosen someone for him to “fall” for, but is she willing?
Question: who or what inspired you to start writing? I’ve been writing my entire life. My husband is the one who actually told me to quit messing around, and write something to publish. I ran with that and haven’t looked back.
Question: what other books or works have you published? I’ve written four book in my series, Stories of Serendipity, about finding love in a small town. I’ve currently got one of four (or five) paranormal romances under my belt in the Four Winds series.
Question: do you read the reviews of your work and how do they affect your writing? I love reading reviews, both good and bad, even the awful ones that tell me I’m horrible. They’re hard to digest at first, but I’m a firm believer in finding something to learn from every experience in life.
Question: what do you hope to accomplish with the book you are currently working on? I just love to tell stories. I hope people can read my work and look at something in a new light, whether it be parenthood, relationships, sex, love, hardship, humor, or religion. I want to entertain, I always have been that way.
Question: what works best for you when writing? Meaning do you outline or write freely when you feel inspired to do so? I am a highly disorganized person. I HAVE to outline, or else my writing is all over the place. I currently have three outlines going on my laptop in various stages of completion. I will start with some “free” writing before my outline, and there’s usually some stages of “free” writing to get through some blocks along the way. I also have found that when the going gets tough story-wise, the tough get a pen and paper.
Question: for other authors who may be struggling what advice can you on handling rejection? Find something positive to get out of it. If there’s nothing positive in the rejection (agents and such usually find something positive to say, reviewers don’t always), then just try to move on. Know that some people use the anonymity of the internet to belittle others in order to make themselves feel better. I tell myself that and eventually, I feel better.
FOLLOW ANNE CONLEY:
Free Novella: http://amzn.to/12uLA8t
Blog: www.conleycorner.blogspot.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Facebook: www.facebook.com/anneconleyauthor I want to say Thanks Anne for being my first author to interview on this blog! I appreciate your honesty and the thoughtfulness you showed in your answers, I'm sure it will inspire more authors to keep writing. Your books seem fascinating and I must say I am ready to check them out. Thanks again! Keep Writing!!!
View more on Cheryl Seagraves's website »http://cherylseagraves.blogspot.com/2...
Anne Conley 7/23/2013
Question:what are you working on at the moment? At the moment, I’m working on a novel in my Four Winds series, about the archangels: Uriel, Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael. This one is Rafe’s story, Falling for Grace. As the archangel of healing, he has heard numerous prayers offering self-sacrifices for loved ones, and he’s always wanted to understand that emotion better. At last, God has chosen someone for him to “fall” for, but is she willing?
Question: who or what inspired you to start writing? I’ve been writing my entire life. My husband is the one who actually told me to quit messing around, and write something to publish. I ran with that and haven’t looked back.
Question: what other books or works have you published? I’ve written four book in my series, Stories of Serendipity, about finding love in a small town. I’ve currently got one of four (or five) paranormal romances under my belt in the Four Winds series.
Question: do you read the reviews of your work and how do they affect your writing? I love reading reviews, both good and bad, even the awful ones that tell me I’m horrible. They’re hard to digest at first, but I’m a firm believer in finding something to learn from every experience in life.
Question: what do you hope to accomplish with the book you are currently working on? I just love to tell stories. I hope people can read my work and look at something in a new light, whether it be parenthood, relationships, sex, love, hardship, humor, or religion. I want to entertain, I always have been that way.
Question: what works best for you when writing? Meaning do you outline or write freely when you feel inspired to do so? I am a highly disorganized person. I HAVE to outline, or else my writing is all over the place. I currently have three outlines going on my laptop in various stages of completion. I will start with some “free” writing before my outline, and there’s usually some stages of “free” writing to get through some blocks along the way. I also have found that when the going gets tough story-wise, the tough get a pen and paper.
Question: for other authors who may be struggling what advice can you on handling rejection? Find something positive to get out of it. If there’s nothing positive in the rejection (agents and such usually find something positive to say, reviewers don’t always), then just try to move on. Know that some people use the anonymity of the internet to belittle others in order to make themselves feel better. I tell myself that and eventually, I feel better.
FOLLOW ANNE CONLEY:
Free Novella: http://amzn.to/12uLA8t
Blog: www.conleycorner.blogspot.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Facebook: www.facebook.com/anneconleyauthor I want to say Thanks Anne for being my first author to interview on this blog! I appreciate your honesty and the thoughtfulness you showed in your answers, I'm sure it will inspire more authors to keep writing. Your books seem fascinating and I must say I am ready to check them out. Thanks again! Keep Writing!!!
View more on Cheryl Seagraves's website »http://cherylseagraves.blogspot.com/2...
June 21, 2013
A little shameless self-promotion...
I know. I know. I already did a cover reveal, and it wasn't this cover. A friend took pity on me and whipped this up on her lunch break. After spending weeks on the other cover, and countless emails back and forth to another friend for advice, I'll say I threw up a little in the back of my mouth when Vanessa threw this together for me. Isn't it totally freakin' gorgeous?
I'll admit it. I'm in girl-love with Vanessa Booke. I have met so many awesome authors on my journey, with incredible skills. I'm in awe. I have to tell myself, they probably can't milk goats just to make myself feel more adequate in comparison.
The blurb for Hot Mess is written intentionally vague. I intend to draw readers in with the hot firefighter, not the fact that see full post here
June 11, 2013
Getting into character...
So, I'm depressed and I'm going to blame the Christmas novella. It's about a couple who is unhappy with their marriage, but by the end they manage to re-kindle their spark. It's going to be sweet and touching, and sexy and all that.
But I haven't gotten that far yet.
Right now, it's just about a depressing marriage.
Every couple who has been married has gone through the rough patches. I've been married fourteen years, so I'm drawing on personal experiences for most of this one, and dwelling on that shit is just depressing. I can't wait to get to the scene where they have cyber-sex. I can't wait for the story to get to the happy ending, because it will. I believe in happy endings, it's just getting through the beginning and the middle to get there that's killing me.
When I write a story, some part of me becomes my characters. When I wrote Hot Mess, and it took a turn I wasn't expecting, I cried while I wrote parts of it. And I don't cry. Ever. Okay, I don't cry much.
The sad thing is, I'm not having to dig too deep to write this novella, and that's bothering me. It shouldn't, because Lord knows I want to run away to Dallas every time I get the least bit hormonal (note, every three weeks), but still. I'm hoping that I'll be to happier places in the book by the end of the week. Otherwise, I'll have to go road-tripping, just to find my balance again.
Don't get me wrong...I'm happily married, not looking for someone else who can make me happier than my wonderful husband. But we have gone over our fair share of speedbumps in our marriage. Maybe writing this book will make our relationship even stronger, because maybe when I've finished, I'll be able to identify what makes me unhappy sometimes and change it.
"They" say that writing can be cathartic. That's why I have a box dedicated entirely to journals in my laundry room. When something made me sad, I wrote about it, and somehow, capturing the words on paper made me feel better. That's what's going on now. Surely...
It actually occurred to me yesterday to scrap the whole thing and write a BDSM romance. But I know in my heart that this is a story that should be told. It's a story about redemption, looking beyond the superficial at what you really have, a story about love and how it conquers all.
It's going to be wonderful, if I can make it through...
But I haven't gotten that far yet.
Right now, it's just about a depressing marriage.
Every couple who has been married has gone through the rough patches. I've been married fourteen years, so I'm drawing on personal experiences for most of this one, and dwelling on that shit is just depressing. I can't wait to get to the scene where they have cyber-sex. I can't wait for the story to get to the happy ending, because it will. I believe in happy endings, it's just getting through the beginning and the middle to get there that's killing me.
When I write a story, some part of me becomes my characters. When I wrote Hot Mess, and it took a turn I wasn't expecting, I cried while I wrote parts of it. And I don't cry. Ever. Okay, I don't cry much.
The sad thing is, I'm not having to dig too deep to write this novella, and that's bothering me. It shouldn't, because Lord knows I want to run away to Dallas every time I get the least bit hormonal (note, every three weeks), but still. I'm hoping that I'll be to happier places in the book by the end of the week. Otherwise, I'll have to go road-tripping, just to find my balance again.
Don't get me wrong...I'm happily married, not looking for someone else who can make me happier than my wonderful husband. But we have gone over our fair share of speedbumps in our marriage. Maybe writing this book will make our relationship even stronger, because maybe when I've finished, I'll be able to identify what makes me unhappy sometimes and change it.
"They" say that writing can be cathartic. That's why I have a box dedicated entirely to journals in my laundry room. When something made me sad, I wrote about it, and somehow, capturing the words on paper made me feel better. That's what's going on now. Surely...
It actually occurred to me yesterday to scrap the whole thing and write a BDSM romance. But I know in my heart that this is a story that should be told. It's a story about redemption, looking beyond the superficial at what you really have, a story about love and how it conquers all.
It's going to be wonderful, if I can make it through...
May 5, 2013
So much going on...
There's so much going on in my writing world right now. Betas are coming back on Hot Mess, and I'm excited for tomorrow, so I can get back into the revisions. This one's got some pretty powerful messages, and betas say my treatment of them was good. I know lots of readers don't look for contemporary romances with a message, so I'm a little nervous about the feedback after publication. But I may be surprised, who knows?
Also, I'm working on a cookbook to go along with Chef's Delight. I've been experimenting with recipes and such. The family, so far, is being very supportive...even tasting stuff! Just kidding, my husband loves my cooking, he'll eat anything I make him. It's just a bonus to him that it's going into a cookbook. The kids actually had fun yesterday making home made pasta, so it seems to be a win-win.
I'm trying to decide which MS to work on next...My Christmas novella, which isn't totally gelled in my head yet, or revisions on the sequel to Falling for Heaven? I just don't know at this point...
Also, I'm working on a cookbook to go along with Chef's Delight. I've been experimenting with recipes and such. The family, so far, is being very supportive...even tasting stuff! Just kidding, my husband loves my cooking, he'll eat anything I make him. It's just a bonus to him that it's going into a cookbook. The kids actually had fun yesterday making home made pasta, so it seems to be a win-win.
I'm trying to decide which MS to work on next...My Christmas novella, which isn't totally gelled in my head yet, or revisions on the sequel to Falling for Heaven? I just don't know at this point...
April 25, 2013
The Process
I'm extremely focused on my writing goals. As I stated in my first post, I'm doing the Indie Author thing because I want to make money. I'm tired of living on peanuts, and I share the American dream of providing for my family doing something that I love. I have a business plan, and part of that plan includes publishing something every three months, to stay on top of some sort of algorithm the epublishers have working. I don't even know what an algorithm is, but I'm trying to work with it. So, yesterday, I tore apart a calendar that we got from the Chinese buffet here in town, and wrote my writing goals on it.
On the calendar, I have noted publishing dates, and based on those dates, when I need to get my manuscript to my editor, Catherine. I have blocked out weeks for revision, weeks for promotion, and weeks for beta on each WIP. I felt a supreme feeling of accomplishment, just putting all of this on a visual format for me to look at every time I walk down the hallway to my bedroom.
View entire blog post here Conley Corner
On the calendar, I have noted publishing dates, and based on those dates, when I need to get my manuscript to my editor, Catherine. I have blocked out weeks for revision, weeks for promotion, and weeks for beta on each WIP. I felt a supreme feeling of accomplishment, just putting all of this on a visual format for me to look at every time I walk down the hallway to my bedroom.
View entire blog post here Conley Corner
April 22, 2013
Author Interview-Bethany Aan
Today's blog post is an interview with Bethany Aan, author of Hearts of Ishira, and Sci-Fi romance. Read it here...www.conleycorner.blogspot.com
